Coolant Temperature Gauge

Post Sat May 24, 2014 7:41 pm

My car warms up fine and the thermostat opens as it should but the temperature gauge only reaches approx 60 degrees. Everything else on the dash panel is working correctly. The car was sitting for about 6 years before I bought it. I have been trying to obtain a coolant temp gauge for a few weeks now and cannot find the right one. BMW no longer stock the part. I have a 1983 320i. It's a 2 pin connector with a brown block. I have used a local parts supplier, they have sent me 3 different ones and they are all wrong. Anyone know where I can get one?

Thanks, Stu

Post Sat May 24, 2014 8:47 pm

Could also be the brown sensor in the stat housing?

Number 13 below sends the temp to the gauge.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=11&fg=35

Post Sat May 24, 2014 9:08 pm

Mitchen wrote:Could also be the brown sensor in the stat housing?

I think it's the sensor that the OP is referring to. Early E30s used a two pin gauge sensor instead of the more usual single pin one.
Is this the problem? If so, I think the single pin one is a direct replacement - it earths through the engine block instead of a second wire.
What market was your car made for? I've never seen a UK car that has a calibrated temp. gauge.

Post Sat May 24, 2014 10:20 pm

Thanks for your message brainmoooore. If I remember correctly the temp senders that I have been sent so far were much smaller than the original. I admit I never tried to fit any of them as I just guessed they were wrong.

Post Sat May 24, 2014 10:33 pm

This appears to be the part # of the two pin version: 62 11 0 788 115 and it appears to be still available.
12 62 1 710 512 is the more usual single pole version.
I don't know if they both have the same connector on them, and I assume they are the same thread size. Apart from that, I can see no reason why the newer version can't be substituted.
A second hand one should be fine. These rarely fail, unlike the 'blue' version that the ECU uses.